Tamim, Anamul & then Mash
Captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza must be a happy man. Prior to the second ODI he asked for a team effort and that's exactly what he got in Bangladesh's 68-run win over Zimbabwe at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here yesterday.
And it was Mashrafe himself who led from the front. It looked like a scene from the past when the pacer bowled his nearly immaculate line with the new ball. Zimbabwe, who were chasing 252, a target set courtesy of a 158-run stand between openers Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque, virtually lost the match within the first 14 overs as they crumbled to 50 for 4 and a major reason behind that was Mashrafe's brilliant opening spell.
At a time when both Al-Amin Hossain and Rubel Hossain bowled either too short or too wide, the veteran stood up to scalp three crucial wickets. He removed danger-man Hamilton Masakadza in the first over with an intelligent off-cutter that stayed low and went through Masakadza's defences. Five overs later, he used the same delivery to send Vusi Sibanda back for 21.
And just as Mashrafe was about to finish his spell, he found an edge off Sikandar Raza's bat which was well taken at short-cover. The only time Mashrafe looked out of sorts was during the powerplay overs, when he was smacked for four boundaries in an over by Elton Chigumbura. However, that did not matter for the player from being adjudged player-of-the-match for figures of 3 for 34.
While Mashrafe laid the foundation, the spinners did the rest. Arafat Sunny chipped in with three wickets in his last over and finished with career-best figures of 4 for 29. Shakib Al Hasan and Al-Amin Hossain, chipped in with one wicket each.
While Sabbir Rahman failed to pick a wicket, he however orchestrated a superb run out to get rid of Chigumbura in the 42nd over; the dismissal sent back Zimbabwe's last recognised batsman.
Tamim and Anamul's stand proved to be the basis of Bangladesh's win though the two were a bit cautious initially. As the innings approached halfway, the pair decided to shift a gear. Tamim launched John Nyumbu straight down the ground for a six in the 23rd over to bring up his 50 off 72 balls. Four overs later, Anamul reached the landmark by driving Sibanda through the covers.
Things however changed on the last ball of the powerplay overs as Tamim fell short of his crease for a quick single. They lost their next four wickets for just 15 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad attempted to rebuild, but both departed after a 31-run stand.
Mushfiqur was trapped in front in the 44th over, an over after the former captain lost his temper. He wielded his bat like a sword at Tendai Chatara after he thought the bowler had deliberately got into his way while taking a second run.
Mominul Haque came in at seven and produced an eventful 33 to take the hosts past 250. He hit three fours in his 23-ball innings and dissected the field with ease.
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